Legendary filmmaker Ridley Scott is not mincing words when it comes to his opinion of the current state of Hollywood. In a candid conversation at the British Film Institute on Sunday, the 87-year-old director behind Gladiator, Alien, and Blade Runner called most modern movies“mediocre,” revealing that he's recently taken to rewatching his own classics - not out of vanity, but out of sheer frustration.

“The quantity of movies that are made today, literally globally - millions, not thousands - and most of it is s**t,” Scott said bluntly during the discussion with his son, filmmaker Luke Scott, as reported by Metro.

The Oscar-nominated director lamented what he sees as a growing creative decline across the industry, blaming an overreliance on digital effects and spectacle over substance.

“I think a lot of films today are saved and made more expensive by digital effects, because what they haven't got is a great thing on paper first. Get it on paper,” he said.

While Scott acknowledged that“occasionally a good one will happen,” he argued that the overall quality of cinema today feels like a creative downturn, adding,“We're drowning in mediocrity.”

When asked about his comfort film of choice, Scott admitted,“It's a horrible thing but I've started watching my own movies, and actually they're pretty good. And also, they don't age.”

He said a recent rewatch of his 2001 war epic Black Hawk Down left him marveling at the craftsmanship.

“How in the hell did I manage to do that?” he laughed.

Despite his criticisms of modern cinema, Scott shows no signs of slowing down. The veteran director recently wrapped production on The Dog Stars, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama starring Jacob Elordi, marking yet another genre leap in his six-decade career.

And for fans of his iconic Roman saga, there's more on the horizon - Scott revealed he has already begun writing a third Gladiator film, further expanding the world he first brought to life in 2000.

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